White Room

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The White Room provides current information relating to new technologies for energy efficiency. Stay connected with the latest news, events, and scientific breakthroughs in this fast moving sector. Use our filters on the left or click here to send a suggestion for content to add.

Last year 31,100 megawatts of solar PV was installed worldwide, which pushed the global PV capacity above 100,000 megawatts. Germany, Italy, and China are the global leaders with the highest amount of megawatts generated by PV.

NREL researchers have built flexible solar cells from Corning's Willow glass. These type of cells could be used in place of roof shingles; the cells are strong and durable and could last decades. Solar costs could be lowered by combining the costs of roof and solar installations.

Apple is building a new data center in Nevada that will be powered by a large, new solar array built in partnership with Nevada Energy. Apple is making efforts to power its U.S. facilities with renewable energy. The company states that all of its data centers use 100% renewable energy.

Given their unobtrusive nature, building-integrated photovoltaics were once touted as the next big thing in solar power. They are now facing a tough challenge in the market, however, due to their higher costs and lower efficiency compared to competing products.